Radnor Defeats Unionville 61-36 for PIAA District 1 Class 5A Championship: Kehler on Hoops
Written by: Dell Jackson on March 5, 2023
Radnor Defeats Unionville 61-36 for PIAA District 1 Class 5A Championship
Unbeaten Radnor defeated Unionville 61 to 36 on Saturday afternoon at Temple U. to capture the PIAA District 1 Class 5A championship. Radnor trailed for much of the first half, but they unleashed a 19 to 0 run to conclude the second quarter which doomed Unionville. Unionville committed 20 turnovers in the game.
Early in the second quarter, Unionville went up 21 to 15 on a three point play by 6’ senior Robbie Logan. Radnor then scored 19 consecutive points on a 3-pointer by 6’ 3” senior Michael Savadove, a steal and breakaway dunk by 6’ 3” Cooper Mueller, two free throws by 6’ 7” senior Jackson Gaffney, a 3-pointer by Gaffney, a follow by 6’ 5” senior Jackson Hicke, a hoop by Mueller inside on an inbounds play, a drive by Gaffney, and a 3-pointer by Mueller. The variety of ways that Radnor scored in this run is indicative of the versatility of their offense. The 19 point explosion gave Radnor a 34 to 21 lead at halftime.
Unionville was determined, and they opened the scoring in the second half with a 7 to 0 run on a putback by outstanding 6’ 5” freshman James Brenner, a 3-pointer by Brenner, and a layup by 6’ 3” junior J. T. Anderson. That cut Radnor’s lead to 34 to 28, but that was as close as Unionville was to get. Radnor launched another run, this one 9 to 0, spanning the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth frame on a hoop inside by Savadove, a putback by Hicke, a drive by Savadove, a fast break layup by Hicke, and a free throw by 5’ 11” senior Danny Rosenblum. That made it 45 to 30 in favor of Radnor, and the rout was on.
Unionville’s offense sputtered in the last 14 minutes of the game, and they had ball security problems, particularly in the first half. Unionville had nice offensive structure, particularly when they had a player in the high post. Unionville junior Nick Diehl was particularly effective in the high post. Radnor has wonderful offensive balance, discipline, and superb team chemistry. It was obvious that the Radnor squad enjoys playing with each other, and the coaching was impressive.
Along with Imhotep Charter and Archbishop Ryan, Radnor is one of the top Class 5A teams in southeastern Pennsylvania. It is worth noting that Radnor defeated Archbishop Ryan on a neutral floor early this season in the Diane Mosco Foundation Shootout. Radnor is now 27-0, while Unionville is 22-5. Radnor will play Warwick in the first round of the PIAA Class 5A state championship tournament on Friday at a location to be determined. Unionville has also qualified for the tournament.
For the game, Radnor out-rebounded Unionville 30 to 24. Radnor committed seven turnovers, while Unionville had 20 miscues. Radnor was seven of eight from the free throw line, and Unionville was five of eight from the stripe. Radnor made four shots from beyond the arc, while Unionville made three 3-pointers. There were two ties and one lead change.
Radnor scoring: Jackson Hicke 18, Jackson Gaffney 11, Cooper Mueller 11, Michael Savadove 9, Charlie Thornton 6, Danny Rosenblum 3, and Henry Pierce 3.
Unionville scoring: James Brenner 10, J. T. Anderson 10, Nick Diehl 6, Robbie Logan 5, Ryan Brown 3, and Kevin Carson 2.
Unionville 14 7 9 6-36
Radnor 13 21 6 21-61
On Twitter: @david_kehler
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